The present invention relates generally to the field of wireless pagers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a wireless pager which incorporates an alphabetically or numerically sequential display of characters, e.g. letters and numbers, controlled by some means, such as a rotating knob, as a means of inputting a message to be transmitted by the pager.
Portable radio receivers and transceivers, such as wireless pagers, have become increasingly popular as a means of communication. Pagers are typically carried by users who wish or need to communicate when they are away from a telephone or computer, or are unable to predict where they may be reached at a given time.
In general, the user of a pager purchases the unit and enters into a contract with a service provider. As shown in FIG. 1, when someone 12 wishes to page a particular user, they contact the user""s service provider 11, identify the user to be paged (perhaps with a personal identification number), and may give a message to the service provider 11 that is to be broadcast to the user""s pager 15.
The service provider 11 maintains a network of radio transceiver base stations 13, 14 which are spread throughout the service area covered by the service provider. The transmitting base stations 13 are distributed so that transmissions from at least one base station can be received by a pager 15 anywhere in the service area.
In a simplistic system, when the service provider 11 receives a request to page a user 15, the page is broadcast by all the base stations 13 in the system. Thus, if the pager 15 is located anywhere in the service area, it will receive the page. The pager 15 will then alert the user that a page has been received with, for example, an audible or vibratory alert signal.
In a more sophisticated system, the pager 15 may have the capability to not only receive a transmission from the service provider""s system, but may have the capability to transmit data back to the system. This is referred to as two-way paging.
Because the strength of a transmission from a pager 15 is tightly constrained by the battery power available to the pager, a two-way paging system must include a greater number of receiving base stations 14 than transmitting base stations 13. The receiving base stations 14 are smaller and distributed more widely than transmitting base stations 13 in order to receive the relatively weak transmissions broadcast by individual pagers 15. The receiving base stations 14 must be sufficient in number and distribution to receive pager transmissions originating anywhere in the service area.
With the advent of two-way paging, the pager user""s ability to effectively communicate is limited only by the range of available messages the pager is capable of transmitting to the system. For example, to minimize equipment expense and power consumption, conventional two-way pagers may provide the pager user with a limited range of xe2x80x9cmultiple choicexe2x80x9d responses to a page transmitted by the system. Alternatively, the pager may allow the pager user to initiate a transmission to the system from a limited list of pre-defined messages.
While more effective than merely receiving messages from the paging system, these methods obviously limit the pager user""s ability to communicate. Accordingly, a need exists for a pager and paging system that provide the pager user with a much greater range of possible responses to a page or messages to be sent from the pager.
It is an object of the present invention to meet the above identified needs and others. Particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a pager which allows the pager user to input and transmit a virtually unlimited range of messages. It is a further object of the invention to allow the input of a wide range of messages using an electronic, sequential display of characters, e.g. letters, numbers and other characters, which is controlled by a rotating knob or the like.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows or may be learned by those skilled in the art through reading these materials or practicing the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be achieved through the means recited in the attached claims.
To achieve the stated and other objects of the present invention, as embodied and described below, the invention may encompass a pager for entering and transmitting a message having: a display; at least one character displayed on the display; a character display control by which the at least one character displayed is changed; and a selection control which, when actuated, selects a character from among the at least one character displayed. The message comprises selected characters.
Under the principles of the present invention, the at least one character displayed may be a plurality of characters with one of the plurality being indicated as the character that will be selected when the selection control is actuated.
The character display control may be a rotatable knob which, when rotated, causes the at least one character displayed to change. The change of the at least one character may take place in alphabetic or numeric sequence; and in a direction of change within the sequence which is determined by the direction in which the knob is rotated.
Alternatively, the character display control may be at least one button which, when actuated, causes the at least one character displayed to change. The at least one button may be two buttons, and the direction of the change within the alphabetic or numeric sequence is determined by which of the two buttons is actuated.
As a third alternative, the character display control may be a switch which, when actuated, causes the at least one character displayed to change. The switch may be biased in an open position, but may be closed against one of two poles. The change of the at least one character takes place in alphabetic or numeric sequence in a direction determined by which of the two poles the switch is closed against.
In any event, the selected character may be displayed on the display. The pager of the present invention may also have a memory in which may be stored at least one identification number for a second pager to which a message is to be sent.
To send or transmit the message, the pager of the present invention may have an antenna by which the message may be transmitted to a paging system. The pager may also have a transmit control. In which case, the message is not transmitted to the paging system until the transmit control is actuated.
Alternatively, the pager of the present invention may have a speaker and an encoder which encodes the message in a series of sounds which are emitted by the speaker. Again, the sounds may not emitted by the speaker until a transmit control is actuated.
The present invention also encompasses a method of using a pager for entering and transmitting a message by: displaying at least one character on a display; changing the at least one character displayed with a character display control; selecting a character from among the at least one character displayed by actuating a selection control; and adding the selected character to the message.
The displaying at least one character may be performed by displaying a plurality of characters, and indicating one of the plurality of characters as being the character that will be selected in response to the actuation of the selection control.
Again, the character display control may be a rotatable knob, the changing being is caused by rotating the knob. If the changing of the at least one character takes place in alphabetic or numeric sequence, the method may also include determining a direction of the changing within the sequence in response to a direction in which the knob is rotated.
Also as before, the character display control may be at least one button, the changing being caused by actuating the at least one button. The at least one button may be two buttons. In which case, if the changing of the at least one character takes place in alphabetic or numeric sequence, the present method may also include determining a direction of the changing within the sequence in response to which of the two buttons is actuated.
Finally, as before, the character display control may be a switch, with the changing being caused by actuating the switch. In which case, the present method may include: biasing the switch in an open position; and closing the switch against one of two poles to cause the changing. If the changing takes place in alphabetic or numeric sequence, the present method may include determining the direction of the changing within the sequence in response to which of the two poles the switch is closed against.
In any event, the method may include displaying the selected character on the display; and storing in a memory at least one identification number for a second pager to which the message is to be sent.
In order to transmit the message, the present method may continue by: indicating an intended recipient of the message; and transmitting the message with an antenna to a paging system. The transmitting of the message may be performed in response to the actuation of a transmit control.
Alternatively, the present method may accomplish transmission of the message by indicating an intended recipient of the message; providing a speaker; encoding the message in a series of sounds which are emitted by the speaker; telephoning a paging system service provider with a telephone having a microphone; holding the speaker the microphone; emitting the series of sounds in response to the actuation of a transmit control; transducing the series of sounds with the microphone; transmitting the transduced series of sounds along a phone line to the service provider; decoding the series of sounds to reveal the message; and transmitting the message to the intended recipient.